Bob Suehs of Rock N Roll Experience recently conducted an interview with FEAR FACTORY/ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS frontman and current MINISTRY touring singer Burton C. Bell. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Rock N Roll Experience: Is this really MINISTRY's last tour?

Burton Bell: Yup!

Rock N Roll Experience: Not even a one-off show here or there?

Burton: No dude, he's (Al Jourgensen) done, he's done, and some fans have just got to let it go. Nothing lasts forever, but think of it as a new beginning for Al. MINISTRY is ending, but Al is doing some new stuff. He's talking about finishing off LARD with one more LARD record and finishing up PAILHEAD with one more PAILHEAD record, but he's gonna do soundtracks, working with his label, so he's still gonna be doing music, but MINISTRY is done and he's done. He's been doing it for almost 30 years...

Rock N Roll Experience: But Ozzy Osbourne said that too!

Burton: Al has more conviction than Ozzy.

Rock N Roll Experience: You don't think Al will get the urge to get back onstage again?

Burton: Nope...I sincerely believe that he is talking from his heart when he says that he is done. I say more power to it.

Burton: I don't know... I think it was just weak (laughs), but that's just my opinion and my opinion doesn't really mean anything.

Rock N Roll Experience: So what is going on with FEAR FACTORY?

Burton: Nothing.

Rock N Roll Experience: Is FEAR FACTORY over with?

Burton: We're taking some time off to figure some shit out. I ve been doing FEAR FACTORY for 17 years and I need to do something different for a while and everything comes to an end at some point.

Rock N Roll Experience: You were speaking recently with Dino [Cazares, former FEAR FACTORY guitarist]. Is there any chance you'll play with him again?

Burton: Dino and I were friends way before FEAR FACTORY, so he came to the L.A. [MINISTRY] show because Tony [Campos] is in ASESINO [with Dino], so they are friends and he showed up backstage and there he was and I said, "Hey," and it was like two old friends but I'm not talking any business with him. It felt good; it was cool.

Rock N Roll Experience: Did you see the last MINISTRY tour with Joey Jordison [SLIPKNOT] on drums?

Burton: Yeah, that was OK. He's (Joey Jordison) an OK drummer.

Rock N Roll Experience: Come on, Joey Jordison was good!

Burton: He's sloppy! Aaron [Rossi, current MINISTRY touring drummer] is way better! He's (Joey) good for SLIPKNOT, you know, but...I think Aaron is way better, he's tighter, he's more consistent.

Rock N Roll Experience: Have you ever met any rockstars who were a**holes?

Burton: A LOT! (laughs) Honestly, Chino [Moreno] from the DEFTONES. I remember, we toured with the DEFTONES and that guy never talked? I tried to go talking to that guy and he never talked to me, I even went up to him backstage after one of his shows in L.A. and I just tried to talk to him and he was like [does a shrugged off impression].

Rock N Roll Experience: It was probably drugs.

Burton: Or he's just a dick! But, he was always a dick to me... I'm probably talking way too much. Can I say this? I'm gonna erase this (points to mini-disc recorder) right now. (laughs)

Rock N Roll Experience: If you don't want me to use any of this interview, I won't...let me know

Burton: Well, I'm not lying, so... I'm telling the truth, so if he (Chino) tries to deny it, I'm like, well, "Fuck you." I'll never see him again anyway! I've met a lot of cool people on this current tour...I got to meet some of my heroes like Jello Biafra, got to meet Ogre, got to meet Billy Gibbons.

Fear Factory only had VERY obscure with somewhat rare airplay on very small radio stations and really WERE near to nothing before the appearance on the Ozzfest tour.......Way to bite the hand that helped you along,....fed you,..and made you into something.What a fucking toolhead.....why does he even care who he meets in this business? So he can bad mouth them later???.........I didnt hear the tape but I`ll take this threads author at his word,..and wont be lookin to listen to "fear fucktery" anymore.....::finger

black rain is definitely a shitty cd. burton wasnt saying that black sabbath put out shitty music or even that older ozzy osbourne put out shitty music. he meant it in the present tense like ozzy osbourne is putting out shitty music..and he is right, he is.

the sabbath stuff will always be untouchably classic. im sure he didnt mean it as a shot to ozzy's legacy, only a shot at the new ozzy.